La Vélosud: which way and when to ride
The best month for La Vélosud is October: 77% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In October the wind barely favours either direction — on average 1.3 km/h along the route (ERA5 2006–2025, daytime 9:00–18:00).
Weather by month
| Month | Good days | Rain days ≥ 1 mm | Rain, mm | Avg high | Days ≥ 30 °C | Days < 10 °C | Daylight, h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36% | 27% | 98 | 9 °C | 0% | 55% | 9.3 † |
| February | 51% | 25% | 79 | 11 °C | 0% | 38% | 10.5 † |
| March | 58% | 32% | 99 | 13 °C | 0% | 23% | 11.8 |
| April | 62% | 35% | 104 | 16 °C | 0% | 8% | 13.3 |
| May | 60% | 39% | 119 | 19 °C | 1% | 3% | 14.7 |
| June | 59% | 35% | 110 | 23 °C | 7% | 0% | 15.3 |
| July | 61% | 25% | 82 | 25 °C | 15% | 0% | 15.1 |
| August | 60% | 24% | 77 | 26 °C | 17% | 0% | 13.9 |
| September | 71% | 25% | 78 | 23 °C | 5% | 0% | 12.4 |
| October | 77% | 22% | 84 | 19 °C | 0% | 3% | 10.9 † |
| November | 56% | 30% | 117 | 13 °C | 0% | 24% | 9.6 † |
| December | 47% | 24% | 88 | 10 °C | 0% | 43% | 9.0 † |
Best months are all months within 3 percentage points of the best one. † less than 11 hours of daylight — long stages get tight.
Wind by month
| Month | Wind Bayonne → Le Barcarès, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Bayonne → Le Barcarès | Headwind > 15 km/h, Le Barcarès → Bayonne | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +3.8 | 0% | 10% | Bayonne → Le Barcarès |
| February | +3.8 | 1% | 12% | Bayonne → Le Barcarès |
| March | +3.7 | 3% | 13% | Bayonne → Le Barcarès |
| April | +2.5 | 3% | 9% | Bayonne → Le Barcarès |
| May | +3.5 | 2% | 11% | Bayonne → Le Barcarès |
| June | +2.5 | 1% | 7% | Bayonne → Le Barcarès |
| July | +3.2 | 1% | 7% | Bayonne → Le Barcarès |
| August | +2.9 | 1% | 6% | Bayonne → Le Barcarès |
| September | +2.4 | 1% | 6% | Bayonne → Le Barcarès |
| October | +1.3 | 2% | 5% | either |
| November | +3.0 | 1% | 9% | Bayonne → Le Barcarès |
| December | +2.8 | 0% | 9% | Bayonne → Le Barcarès |
Stages
The route is split into 5 stages of about 100–150 km between towns; each stage has its own page.
| Stage | km | Best month | Tailwind Bayonne → Le Barcarès in October, km/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Bayonne → Pau | 134 | October | +2.0 |
| 2. Pau → Lannemezan | 126 | October | +0.9 |
| 3. Lannemezan → Saint-Girons | 125 | October | +1.0 |
| 4. Saint-Girons → Espéraza | 117 | October | +1.0 |
| 5. Espéraza → Le Barcarès | 106 | October | +1.5 |
How to read the numbers
Wind is the 10 m wind of a 25-km grid cell, daytime hours 9:00–18:00 local solar time; at saddle height in a sheltered valley it is weaker, on a coast or ridge stronger. A positive value is a tailwind. ERA5 slightly over-counts days with ≥ 1 mm of rain (by about 5–7 percentage points) and underestimates daily highs by 1–2 °C. Good day = less than 1 mm of rain between 9:00 and 18:00 (riding hours, local solar time) and a high between 10 and 30 °C; rain at night or in the evening does not spoil it.